The Stray
by Akuma-Chibi
Summary: A fire takes the lives of the Kikumaru family, save one son who had stayed late for practice. The death of his family leaves Eiji distraught, running from the nightmare. Lifeless eyes draw in a young girl who ends up taking him in, and unknowingly saves his life.


**The Stray**

**Summary: A fire takes the lives of the Kikumaru family, save one son who had stayed late for practice. The death of his family leaves Eiji distraught, running from the nightmare. Lifeless eyes draw in a young girl who ends up taking him in, and unknowingly saves his life.**

**Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Prince of Tennis**

**Pairing: Eiji/Kagome**

**Genre: Romance/Hurt/Comfort**

**Rated: M for Mature Content**

**-x-x-x-**

"_**Yesterday evening, Kanto Region was private to a series of rather unfortunate proceedings, a group of radical fires spread out over a collection of houses, claimed the lives of three families, sixteen bodies have already been pulled from the ashes and identified and released to the public; Kikumaru, Isamu, male, age forty-six, Kikumaru, Hideyoshi, male, age seventy-eight, Kikumaru, Daichi, male, age twenty-one, Kikumaru, Kouta, male, age nineteen, Kikumaru, Airi, female, age forty-four, Kikumaru, Chouko, female, age seventy-seven, Kikumaru, Ayano, female, age twenty-three, Kikumaru, Etsuko, female, age seventeen, Matsue, Kou, femal-"**_

The TV sat muted on the table; steal blue eyes stared in shock as the announcement registered in his mind. It had been a day since he'd seen his best friend, Eiji, who had missed morning practice, and classes, as well as evening practice that day, he hadn't answered any of his calls, he was about to go to his house when his sister yelled up stairs for him to turn on the TV to any general area news casting. He knew why Eiji had missed school now, he understood why he wasn't answering his phone...he was terrified; he was honest to Kami, terrified. "Sis!" Fuji, Shuusuke stood up from where he'd been sitting on his bed and ran out of his room, downstairs where he found his mom, dad and sister sitting down listening to the TV in the dining room. "Mom, I'm going out, don't wait up!"

Shuusuke pulled his shoes on and grabbed a jacket from the closet before running out of the house, not carrying about whether or not they had even heard him. He had one thing on his mind, one person on his mind, one name which continuously drifted through his head. _**"EIJI!"**_

**-x-x-x-**

'_...mom...dad...'_ blue eyes looked out over the city where fires had recently taken the lives of so many, standing atop a cliff, the very one that not too long ago, he and his friends had visited to see the burning sunset, now all he could see was ashes. _'Kouta...Ayano...Daichi...Etsuko...'_ Tears fell as thunder sounded from above, a droplet of water touched his hand and he looked hatefully at the cool drop of rain. "Your...k-kidding, you have got to be kidding!" The downpour started with those words and he cried out, challenging the thunders roar with his own anguish. "WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THEY NEEDED YOU!"

"...where?"

The blue eyes widened and the boy turned his tearfully to see a woman standing behind him, no...a girl. She had black hair down to her elbows, and her own eyes were just as blue as his were, only, with a dark undertone to them. "Where?"

She looked out at the city; the rain was pelting down on her, her hair becoming soaked in the water, just like his maroon colored hair; sticking to his cheeks as it showed him no mercy, nor any sympathy for the recent events. "...who are you looking for?" She asked, this time completing an actual question, so not to leave him confused with a single word.

"...no one..." he shook his head, "...someone...everyone..." tears were streaming down his cheeks, he fell to his knees as he yelled, punching the ground hatefully, he ignored the girl as she stepped back and watched him hurt himself over and over and over again.

He reminded her of a helpless child. Her next movements seemed to happen without his knowing, and without her permission, but with his body falling lethargically to the ground, she fell to her knees and caught him around the waist, letting him fall softly against her, before helping him into a standing position. "Hang in there with me, I live close by, so you should be fine once we get you inside."

"_I don't...want...to be fine..."_ His voice was broken and tattered from his yelling and screaming and crying, all the while, he was still crying, though his eyes looked completely devoid of life as he looked into her eyes.

"What do you want?"

"_...death?"_

A sad smile graced her lips as she shook her head, "Let's go, you need to dry off and get some sleep, you should feel better once this storm has passed. I will make you some hot tea too, once we get to my house."

The boy gave no reply, only following slowly and limply beside her as she helped him off towards her home.

**-x-x-x-**

"Eiji...EIJI!" Shuusuke cried out his irritation, he couldn't find the catlike red head anywhere. Where was he, where could he go, where _would_ he go!?

"_SHUUSUKE!"_

Shuusuke turned to see Ryoma running towards him, Momoshiro on his left, Takashi on his right. "Ah...Ryoma...Ryoma, did you guys see Eiji anywhere?"

The three shook their heads.

"_HEY! SHUUSUKE! RYOMA!"_

The group turned to see Inui and Oishi running up to them.

"I've looked everywhere...please, please tell me you guys found him." Oishi looked desperately at the group, but was broken by their negative head shakes. "...I have to find him...I need to...he needs us..." Oishi made to move, his face flushed from a fever as his walking became lagged and he stumbled a bit into Takashi.

"No, we will find him, Oishi, but right now, we need to get inside. We can't do anything if we are too sick to move!"

Oishi shook his head, "Don't do this to me Shuusuke, please...let me try finding him."

Shuusuke gave a harsh glare to his vice-captain, "Go home, all of you! I know Eiji...he won't do anything rash, give him space, and some time...he will come back..._he will come...home._" The last part spoken in a soft whisper as the group nodded sadly and left in different directions. Shuusuke was right, and while it sucked...there was nothing else to be done right now.

Walking towards Eiji's house once more, he walked up to the somehow still standing house, and carefully he ran inside. He was hoping it didn't fall down on top of him, but he didn't care, he had to at least check, though he was sure Eiji wouldn't come back to the house, the danger and the emotional trauma would do him in...and if he had come back, then there was no hope of finding him here, or anywhere around here...if they found him...it would be on Eiji's own terms...when he was ready to be found, to come back home, to them. Fuji walked carefully up the stairs to Eiji's room and inside he found a mostly still intact room. "...E-Eiji..." he sighed, pulling out his phone, he dialed a number and sighed as he listened to the ringing. _'You'll come back...'_ he turned at a the sound of something shuffling around the floor and looked quickly beneath the bed, "...saa..."

**-x-x-x-**

**Me: Hope you guys enjoyed this depressing chapter, I plan on making this story even more heart wrenching as it goes on, it's a different direction than I normally take, but I thought it would be a nice change to add a little morbid angst to my story selection. Tell me how I did, Nya~!**


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